Day 11 - Manicure, Churrascaria & Homeward Bound

After breakfast with the ladies, I worked on finishing up my packing for home and visited with Michelle some.

After a lunch of pizza, we went to Belezoazul (Blue Beauty) with Tathiana. Michelle had her haircut, Tathiana had a pedicure and I got a manicure. I actually got my first french manicure; we'll see how long it lasts. I am pretty rough on my nails. If I had been in Brazil a little longer, I'm sure I would have chipped them rock climbing.

It was pouring rain when we finished and Tathiana called John, her husband, and asked him to pick us up. I was very grateful.

Michelle and I watched most of Sense and Sensibility and she made each of us a cup of tea to drink during the movie. Guess what? The movie had Portuguese subtitles. I'm curious to see if my copy at home has Portuguese subtitles.

We didn't have time to finish the movie because Mark and Michelle were taking me to a Churrascaria for dinner. We went to a place called Ambrosios. It was very nice and the food was great. I had a small salad to leave room for all the meat they brought around on skewers. I tried the Picanha which was Muito Bem!! And what would one of my trips be without trying some strange food; I ate chicken hearts. They were good. I didn't over eat which was tempting to do since I was getting on a plane late in the evening.

On the way to Ambrosios, Raul called Michelle's cell phone to talk with me. I was already teary-eyed in the backseat before he called and his call put me over the edge. It isn't every day that I have a pastor from a church call me to encourage me in my walk with God. I am excited to see how God is going to build His church through Raul in Belo Horizonte.

After dinner, we had just enough time for me to change clothes and head off to the airport. I was standing in this long line waiting to check in with my 2 enormous bags when a man working at the airport approached me and asked me to follow him. He was speaking in Portuguese so Michelle said to follow him. He opened the band/rope keeping me in line and took my bags to a much faster place to check in that was set apart from everything else. I would have been in that line for at least 30 minutes if he had not picked me out of the line. They didn't even weigh my bags.

I really didn't want to say goodbye to Mark and Michelle. They have been such gracious hosts. I can't remember if I wrote on Sunday that Michelle saved me from a speeding bus as we crossed the street. I didn't see it and Michelle pulled me off the street before I was crushed. We were actually almost across when the bus came speeding through the intersection. Pedestrians do not have the right of way in Brazil.

Now it is Thursday morning and I am sitting in the Miami airport. I slept for several hours on the plane so I feel somewhat rested. I am looking forward to a shower when I get home but at least I have washed my face and put a little make-up on.

I will finish up the Brazil trip posting in the next couple of days when I am better rested and have more time to reflect. I will also post the last of the pictures.

Bom Dia!

Breakfast at Pao & Companhia - Camila & Me

Breakfast at Pao & Companhia - Marina & Me

Breakfast at Pao & Companhia - Me & Monick

Breakfast at Pao & Companhia - Me & Vivi

Michelle and Me

Cooking at Vivi's House

Renata, Gaby, Nathalia, Priscila and Fabiana at Ponto do Acai

Acai

Rokaz - Indoor Rock Climbing

Claudia, Me and Vivi

Vivi's Life Line (I don't want to drop the pastor's wife)

Rock Climbing

Vivi

Claudia

Vivi and I after Rock Climbing

Day 10 - Rock Climbing, Acai & Cooking Class

Yesterday morning, Vivi and I met Claudia at Rokaz, an indoor rock climbing facility. Claudia does rock climbing and is a member here. First, we had to watch an instructional DVD about rock climbing and then we were instructed on how to use the ropes for safety. Guess what? It was in Portuguese. Occasionally, the instructor gave me information in English. It is a good thing that I am a visual learner. When it was time to climb Claudia was with us to talk us through it. It was so much fun but what a workout. My hands, arms and legs were tired afterwards. I wish we had a place like this in Birmingham. I told Claudia I would go rock climbing with her again. I trust her to take care of me.

After climbing, I came back to the Hamby's and took a shower. My hands hurt from gripping my shampoo bottle. Rock climbing really was a great workout. What I liked best was that it was something to do and you didn't feel like you were exercising. It really strengthens your body.

Michelle made a wonderful lunch and then I went to Ponto do Acai with Priscila, Nathalia, Gaby, Fabiana and Renata to try Acai for the first time. Muito Bem!! It is like an Acai sorbet/ice cream/sherbet kind of dish and it had strawberries, mango and kiwi on top with banana, granola and a strawberry syrup on the side that you add as you please. It was really good and I loved hanging out with the girls. They are so much fun and we talked a lot about missions and other cultures. I wish I had more time to hang out with the girls. Nathalia and Gabby made me some Brazilian recipe cards. I was so touched that they made and gave me recipe cards that were Brazilian dishes. Renata's family owns a coffee plantation/company and she gave me some coffee that her family produces. I was so touched by these young women's hearts for God. I am looking forward to come back in a couple of years and see what God has done in and through their lives.

After hanging out with the girls in the afternoon, it was off to Vivi and Raul's for another cooking class. This cooking class was with the professionals (the women that work). We made Chicken Piccata and Fettuccine Alfredo. Dani and Luiza did a lot of the prep work; cutting up ingredients, grating Parmesan cheese, squeezing lemons, etc. There were 9 ladies who came: Vivi, Luiza, Daniela (Dani), Junia, Arabella, Claudia, Debra, Diana and Camila. We cooked everything in two batches and Camila cooked the second batch of Fettuccine and Chicken Piccata. She did a fantastic job! We had a great time and I think everyone enjoyed the food. Raul liked the food also.

After we cleaned up Vivi's kitchen, Dani and Camila brought me back to the Hamby's.

My average bed time is basically midnight and it was the same last night as well. I did begin packing up my stuff and that kept me up.

This morning (Wednesday), I went to Pao & Companhia for breakfast with Michelle, Vivi, Camila, Monick and her baby Marina. I talked with Camila and Monick for a long time and I just love these women. I had a typical Brazilian breakfast this morning of Pao de sal, cream cheese, ham and cheese and some coffee since this is my last breakfast here.

Aninha

Milk Aisle

Day 9 in Brazil - A Day of Rest

After we came back to the Hamby's, I slept from about 8:30 until 11:00. I was tired.

Aninha picked me around noon and took me to lunch at Spoleto. It is an Italian build your own pasta bowl restaurant. It was really good; Muito bem. We did a little shopping. I bought Pride & Prejudice translated into Portuguese. I also bought some Brazilian music. We also went to the grocery store in the basement of Diamond Mall and I bought some things need for Tuesday nights cooking class. It was great to get to know Aninha and spend the afternoon with her.

By the way, milk comes in a box and is not refrigerated. I hear it is good. I don't drink milk so I can't tell you what it tastes like.

After Aninha brought me back to the Hamby's, Nurse Michelle told me I should get some rest. I slept until 8:00. Michelle had a Fromburger (chicken burger) waiting for me when I woke up. It was good.

Tonight, I am working on updating pictures to the blog, beginning to pack to come home and doing some prep for tomorrow night's cooking class. The Hamby's are back to the Dempsey's house since they did not make their flight yesterday.

I am really getting to know people and now I have to leave in a couple of days.

Church Day - Nathalia & Priscila

Church Day - Monick & Marina

Church Day - Monick & Marina

Church Day - Fernanda, Claudia and Camila

Women's Retreat on Saturday

New Friends from the Women's Retreat - Claudia, Fernanda, Me and Camila

Claudia and I at the Women's Retreat

Claudia (translator), Tathiana, and Priscila at the Retreat

Boxes Finished

Making Boxes on Retreat

Making Boxes on Retreat

Helenice, Me, and Monick

Learning Basics of Quilting

Day 8 - Feria Hippie & Church Day

I awoke by alarm at 4:30 this morning to get a shower before our day of adventure. Michelle and I were off to Feria Hippie (the Hippy Fair). We left at 6:00 to catch a taxi. There are artisans, craft makers, clothes, jewelry, shoes, purses, etc. I bought some earrings from a guy who looked like Tommy Chong. We were there until 8:30 and then hopped on a bus to head to the Dempsey's house where we met up with Mark and Flavio and the Dempsey kids and headed out for Church Day which is like a church picnic. We had to go in 2 different cars to fit all of us. (Mark and Flavio drove). The day was spent at Vivi's parents house and people (mostly kids) went swimming, men were playing a game that is a mix between volleyball and soccer, people were playing board games and cards; just a fantastic day of fellowship. Late in the afternoon, we had worship service. Again, it was nice to worship in Portuguese. I may not have pronounced everything correctly or understood every word I sang, but my voice was lifted up with the rest of the church.

I have made so many new friends and everyone has been kind and loving toward me.

I almost forgot to mention the food. We had fresh fruit: watermelon, bananas and apples to snack on until lunch. We then had salad and rice and beans. Later on we had dessert. A lot of dessert. I can't even begin to tell you how many different kinds there were. Fernanda said I had to try them all so she and I both got a taste of each one. Muito Bem!!

Mostly, I sat around and talked. I know, most of you are shocked by this. I did get to jump in and play the last couple of hands in a spade game when someone needed to leave the game.

I also had the opportunity to hold Marina (3 months) and rock/dance her to sleep. When they were setting up for worship, they were playing a praise cd and as long as I kept moving, Marina was happy but if I stopped she let me know. She was so tired and eventually went to sleep. I loved getting to hold her. She slept as long as the music was playing and I was moving. When the music stopped, she awoke hungry and I returned her to Monick so she could feed her.

In Brazil, you greet and say goodbye to everyone with a hug and a kiss so I said goodbye in this fashion and rode back to town with Monick, her husband, Emerson, and of course Marina.

The evening was spent at the Dempsey's eating McDonalds, watching the kids do homework some of which was in Portuguese, and teaching a card game to the Kids. It is a little hard to help with homework when it is in Portuguese even when it is a first graders homework.

Michelle and I stayed the night with the kids. Demps and Kristy are out of town for a wedding.

Day 6 & 7 - Hanging Out with the Ladies

During the day on Friday, I stayed at the Hamby's to have a day of rest (a sabbath) and work on the things I would be sharing with the women I have been meeting. I did a lot of writing and editing and rewriting.

In the evening, Mark dropped Michelle and I off at the church office. We had Brazilian hotdogs for dinner; very good. The buns are similar but fatter than the ones in the U.S. They also cook the hotdogs in a sauce. I shared my testimony with the ladies and Claudia translated for me. I am still amazed by how much God has transformed my life from a God hater to a God Lover. These women are so wonderful. I want to bring them all home with me.

Gabby brought Michelle and I home. They had to teach me not to slam the car door. The car doors are so light. There is an expression here ( I hope I remember this correctly): "Do you slam the refrigerator door?". They say this when someone slams the car door too hard. I didn't know I was such a brute.

I saw the garbage men last night. It is quite the sight. They run behind the truck and toss the trash in. They come by each night and the truck is moving ahead of them on the street and they are constantly running; not jogging, running. They are singing and seem to enjoy their work. They must be in great shape from all the running. The uniforms are yellow with reflective strips; it looks like a firefighter suit.

This morning (Saturday), Mark dropped us off at the office again. We had a Brazilian breakfast with salt bread, cheese, ham, and Brazilian cream cheese. Now, this is my kind of breakfast. Just so you know, they have chocolate cake for breakfast too. I had some delicious coffee. After breakfast, I shared about being a single who has the desire to be married and until God decides to bless me with marriage, I am living out the blessing of being single for this season in my life.

It has been raining since Friday night and has pretty much not let up. We were going to go out for lunch but everyone was given the choice to either go out or stick around the office and have leftovers. So everyone did one or the other. I had my same little breakfast sandwich with a twist. Claudia toasted it for me making a sort of panini. Muito bem (very good). I also had some more coffee. After lunch, we did a craft. We drew names and made a box for the person whose name we drew and wrote them an encouraging note that we put inside. Supplies to make the box were: (box, colorful napkin, white paint, colored paint, glue, glaze, scissors, and paintbrushes. Fabiana Silva and I ended up having each others name. The box she made me is beautiful and the note was so encouraging to my spirit. She is on staff and is a beautiful young woman both inside and out.

After making the boxes and exchanging them, I shared about serving in the church and some different ways you might serve.

Afterwards, we had chicken stroganoff for dinner. It was Muito bem.

I had so many encouraging conversations and I am looking forward to getting to know these ladies more.

I am so thankful for Claudia translating for me while I shared my heart.

Gabby was kind enough to bring Michelle and I back to Michelle and Mark's in the pouring rain.

I am so tired and going to bed.

This is a Photo of Part of the Staff (some of the staff were traveling and then I forgot to take the picture before the Dempsey's left so not everyone is present in the photo).

Cooking in the Kitchen on Monday Night

Breakfast with Fabiana, Priscila, Tathiana, Vivi and Michelle at Pao e Compania (Bakery)

Cooking Class on Tuesday Night

Fresh Produce at Mercado Central

Butcher at Mercado Central

How Would You Like This Job?

Michelle Buying Cheese in Mercado Central

Day 5 - The Word Encouragement Sums Up This Day

05 - Brazil - encouragement explains this day

This morning, Michelle and I awoke early to begin the day at Pao e Compania (a bakery) for breakfast with the staff girls and wives who were available: Vivi, Tathiana, Fabiana and Priscila. I had Pao de Queijo (cheese bread), a mini croissant with chocolate on it, a little bread roll, fresh fruit: papaya, pineapple, mango and apple, and espresso. Yummy!! It was fun hanging out with the ladies for breakfast. Vivi gave us a ride to and from the bakery. These ladies are just great; their desire is to see women grow in the relationship with God and then turn around and give their lives away also. I could have hung out with them all day.

After breakfast, I worked on some things I needed to get done for this weekend. Michelle ordered delivery chicken stroganoff. We had chicken stroganoff with potato sticks (like chips) for an extra topping, rice and broccoli. I tried one of their sodas today - Guarana. It looks like Ginger ale but it doesn't taste like it. It has a lot of caffeine.

I rested/napped after lunch for about an hour and then we headed to Monick's (pronounced Moe-knee-kee) home for an impromptu quilting class. It was Monick, Helenise (pronounced Ellen-knee-see), Michelle and myself. Before I forget, I had the pleasure to hold Monick's beautiful, 3-month old daughter, Marina, before she took a nap. She really was beautiful.

I gave the ladies an overview of how a quilt is put together: piece the top first, and then put the top on the batting, which is on the quilt back, quilt it, and finish it off by putting on the binding. Anyway, Helenise brought supplies and had a great idea that they make something small so they could see a complete project before I leave next week. They are each making a nine- patch square that is going to be a quilted pot holder. Actually, it will look like a miniature quilt if you think about it. They are going to bring their project with them for church day at the park on Sunday so we can look at what to do next. I loved getting to show them about quilting. They were okay with the fact that I am a novice quilter and not an expert. It was such an encouraging afternoon. Helenise has 3 kids (the oldest is 20) and she has such a heart for women in the church. She told me so many encouraging stories about women waiting God for a husband and not compromising. She shared about how her own sister did not meet her husband until she was 43. If I lived in Brazil, I would be seeking out time to spend with Helenise on a regular basis. She has this beautiful smile that just makes you feel genuinely cared for. I think I encouraged her as well through our conversations. By the way, Michelle was an excellent translator the entire time. She was translating my quilting instructions as well as all of our conversations.

We had some wonderful snacks as well. Michelle made these cookie bars involving chocolate, we had some banana bread, Helenise brought some delicious star fruit jelly that she made and I put on the bread, and Monick had drinks for us. I had a couple cups of coffee which were nice and strong.

Sweet, sweet Helenise made me a tote bag that says in Portuguese "Obrigado Melody - Amamos Voce - Mulheres Virtuosas Da Comunidade Horizonte". English - thank you melody - we love you - the virtuous women of Comunidade horizonte (which is the name of their church).

The heart of a woman that loves God looks the same whether you are Brazilian, Thai, American or some other nationality. I'm continually amazed how God unites our hearts and uses us to encourage one another just by sharing the things God is doing in and through our lives.

Mark picked Michelle and I up at 5:30 because they had students heading to their house for discussion group. It is an outreach based discussion group of students. Tonight's discussion was on "Can we be good enough?" I hung out with everyone at the beginning during snack time. More Pao de Queijo and it was fabulous!! Michelle made a cookie bar involving sugar cookie, chocolate and peanut butter. I think about 10 people came. There were several girls here that were at the cooking class and several guys. I met a couple of the guys at church this past Sunday. I met Wesley that Jessica and Justin met when they visited in August. Jessica is Michelle's twin sister. He went on and on about how much he liked Jessica and Justin. I also met another Tchiago (James is the translation). He said he likes American football and his favorite team is Southern Missouri. I convinced him he should like Auburn too. I told him Mark cheers for Alabama but that Tchiago should pull for Auburn. I told him to call Mark the day after Thanksgiving (a holiday in the United States) and say "War Eagle" to Mark. I better watch it or Mark may make me sleep outside the apartment building. Tchiago told me I had to cheer for his favorite soccer team in Belo Horizonte - Atletico - Gallo. Gallo means rooster. I told him I would agree to this and started cheering Gallo! Gallo! Gallo! Some of the students loved it and others were sneering at me. Oh well, nothing wrong with a little rivalry.

Priscila, who is on staff, brought her laptop for me to use since the discussion group needed to use Mark's so I could work on my testimony during their discussions. I closed myself off in the office and worked until they were finished. Priscila was so very sweet and left her laptop for me to use since I still needed to do some more editing.

It has been such an encouraging day and the Brazilians have pierced my heart with their outpouring of love towards me.

Day 4 - Home-cooked Meal

I woke up early again today and had another cup of delicious coffee. I will definitely be bringing some of it back with me. They have this liquid sweetener that I squirt into my coffee and it doesn't take much to sweeten the coffee, but it has no calories. Seriously, no calories.

They have liquid dish soap similar to what we have but they also have this block/bar of soap you can use. You just wipe it on the sponge and start washing. The way I have been doing dishes at the Hamby's since they have one small sink is wet/rinse all the dishes under running water. Soap them all up with the sponge and after all the dishes are washed then I rinse them all under running water. I'm definitely not using as much water. Michelle taught me how to wash them this way.

I spent the day at Raul and Vivi's house. Vivi cooked a wonderful lunch. We had a dish that was very similar to shepherds pie; the mashed potatoes were made with Yucca, the meat was shredded and then there was the Brazilian version of cream cheese that came in what sort of looked like a pastry bag where she cut the end off and squeezed the cheese out. I thought it was delicious. Vivi thought the dish was just okay. It was the first time she has made this dish. We also had rice and beans, a baked vegetable dish, and salad. Everything was wonderful.

Before we had lunch, I went with Vivi to pick up Daniel from school. He is 3. I could kick myself for not having my camera with me. They had this really fun looking slide that had a little hut on top that looked like something you would see on an island beach. The sandbox was really cool also. The kids stand up to play in the sand but they are not in the sandbox. It is kind of like this trough/trench-like structure that runs along the wall which gives room for more kids to play in the sand and the best part is that they don't get sand all over their clothes or in their shoes.

I loved hanging out with Raul, Vivi and Daniel today. By the way, Daniel is an ace at putting puzzles together. He doesn't even look at the picture on the box and I'm even talking about puzzles he has never put together before.

I returned to the Hamby's around 6:00 and tried to take a short nap. I'm trying to sleep when all of a sudden I hear "Stairway to Heaven" blasting through the quiet of the city from a stereo in a building nearby. I also heard "Total Eclipse of the Heart" among many other songs. So much for sleeping.

Later in the evening, Mark, Michelle and I watched a movie on line. Nice evening at the Hamby's.

FRUSTRATED!!!

I am having a hard time posting pictures to my blog and I can't even begin to tell you how frustrated I am about it. My time is limited for posting to the blog and it takes a long time to load a picture (like 10 minutes). So at the end of 10 minutes, I get an error message. So now I am frustrated because I want to show you Brazil not just tell you about it. Anyway, I have other things to work on so I am having to give it up for now. I have approached the problem from a few different angles but now I don't have time to try what the next thing is that might work because I need to be working on something else much more important.

Sorry about no pictures for now.

Day 3 - Cooking Class

I slept in this morning and Michelle had strong Brazilian coffee waiting for me when I awoke. I worked on a project for the retreat this weekend and then we had lunch.

After lunch, we walked to the butcher's shop to buy chicken and then to Morini, a little market store to buy some lemons. We also bought some mangos to eat.

We started doing some of the prep work before the girls arrived for the cooking class. For example: you can't buy chicken broth in a can so you have to make your own. I boiled chicken and we made enough for our recipe and to freeze some so Michelle would have it later to cook with in recipes requiring it. The girls in the cooking class called it chicken water. It made me laugh so I referred to it as chicken water while we cooked.

10 girls came to the cooking class and it was so much fun. I really enjoyed getting to know them.

We learned some cutting techniques for mincing garlic, finely chopping shallot, slicing mushrooms, cutting potatoes into cubes, cutting up broccoli and cutting chicken breasts crosswise to make cutlets. Everyone had a turn cutting something. We then went into the kitchen in two different teams because the kitchen is small and cooked Chicken Marsala, mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli.

Then the twelve of us squeezed around Michelle's square table and enjoyed our dinner. It was such a fun night with all these girls.

While we were cooking, I showed them a list of the foods my friend, Marlene, said I had to try while I was in Brazil. They made Brigadeiro for me for dessert. It was delicious!! It was chocolate; need I say more.

The night ended again at 11:00 and I was going to sleep about 12:30.

Sorry, I haven't posted pictures yet. I'll try to soon.

Day 2 (Monday) - Hanging Out With the Team

I had every intention of sleeping in this morning. However, I awoke at 7:00 am and couldn't go back to sleep (Let's not talk about what time it was in Birmingham).

Just for the record, I am claiming the stupid foreigner pass-card when it comes to spelling anything in Portuguese. After some fantastic coffee this morning, Mark, Michelle and I headed out to do some grocery shopping. We stopped and picked up Tchiago (O.T. which stands for Old Tchiago - apparently this is how Mark differentiates him from all the other Tchiagos).

We headed downtown to the Central Market where we had Tropeiro for lunch. It is rice with ground pork with some seasoning on the side along with some crispy pork bits mixed in which is then topped with a fried egg.

After lunch, we went to different little shops/stands in the market to buy some ingredients for dinner with the team and cooking class for Tuesday night. It was so much fun to get fresh produce from someone who only sells produce, cheese from someone who only sells cheese; you get the point. Michelle bought fresh Parmesan cheese from a man who cut it right off this huge round block of cheese. My Parmesan cheese always comes prepackaged at home. We bought a lot of fruits and vegetables. Mark and Tchiago were gracious enough to carry it all.

After the Central Market, we went to "Extra" to finish the days grocery shopping. Extra is like our Wal-Mart in the U.S. or Big C in Thailand.

After taking Tchiago home, we carried the groceries up the three flights to Mark and Michelle's apartment.

I took a little nap and then Michelle and I began preparation for dinner for the team. As others arrived they jumped into help. Michelle took care of the salad and Junia was her assistant. (By the way, Michelle's salad was wonderful.) I was in charge of the Fettuccine Alfredo and Diana was my assistant. Vivi was our pasta taster to make sure it was just right. We had to make three batches of the recipe because I have never made that much at one time before. We would have had more help but the kitchen is too small.

Tonight, I met most of their team. Raul and Vivi, the Dempsy family- Demps / Kristy / Meg / Duncan / Kate, Alan and his fiancée - Junia, Diana, Tatiana, Fabiana and of course Mark and Michelle Hamby. I loved getting to meet everyone and hanging out around the table talking. What a great team!

By the way, the best way I can describe some of the streets here is that they look like the streets of San Francisco. They are straight up. Mark does a great job driving them in a car with a manual (stick) transmission.

Day 1 - Church

I slept for an hour on the plane. Many factors kept waking me up just as I was about to go to sleep but the lights in the cabin being turned on at 4:00 am asking for a physician to come forward was a definite eye opener. They asked in English first and when no physician was identified, they asked in Portugeuse. I saw the flight attendant, who liked like he could be a linebacker, pass back down the aisle to the back of the plane with the plane's difibulator and medical emergency bag. I don't think anyone had a heart attack but they must have thought the person was showing symptoms. I didn't know who or what was happening so I just prayed for them.

The Belo Horizonte airport is located outside of town where it is very picturesque. I've decided they need to have a meeting about people getting there bags off the luggage belt. If everyone would stand back a few feet, everyone could see their bag coming and then they could move forward to snatch it off the belt while everyone could still see. (maybe they need to hold a Kaizen meeting). This is all airports not just Brazil. I channeled my frustration into helping several women get their heavy bags on their luggage cart. I have a feeling God had my bags in the last batch so I could help them.

I have learned my first two words in Portuguese: Obrigada - thank you, and Bom Gia - good morning. I heard it beginning at immigration through customs and figured out what was being said. By the way, that is not the correct spelling, I'm just writing how they sounded.

Mark and Michelle Hamby and I had wonderful Brazilian food for lunch and then I took a 2 hour nap before we were off to church.

It is an amazing thing to get to worship in Portuguese. As Raul preached, I wore a headset and a young man translated for me. I felt the warmth from this congregation as I was greeted with a kiss and a hug. I wish Americans would adopt this custom. (Okay, for all of you freaking out about the kiss, you place your cheeks next to each other and kiss the air). So, I challenge you to at least try it.

After church, we went to Dona Margherita to have dinner with a huge part of the congregation. It is a pizza place. If you choose the all you can eat option, you don't go to a pizza bar to get your pizza. They walk around with pizza fresh out of the oven and ask you if you would like a slice from the pizza they are carrying. The pizza is thin crust and absolutely delicious!! They have dessert pizza too. I tried 3 different dessert pizzas: coconut, caramel, and chocolate with strawberries on top. They were delicious also. Anna Parsons told me I should try this place if I had the opportunity and she was right. I also tried a drink called H2Oh. It is water that has the taste of sprite. This is the best way I can explain it.

We got home about 11:00 and I crashed about12:00.

Quick Note

I have arrived! I hope all is well at home. I am off to church in a few minutes. Let's hope I can stay awake. I've never fallen asleep in church before and I don't want to have my first time be in Brazil.

Scared the Lady

I was able to get on the Internet and watch the Auburn game since none of the bars were watching ESPN2. Unfortunately, I scared an older woman sitting near me on several occasions when I yelled for Auburn quietly. I really was yelling quietly. Okay so it is someone else's normal voice, but then I started doing a whisper yell. What a great game. It helped me pass the time in Miami.

I had Cuban food for a late lunch and it was pretty good for the airport.

I'm about to board. Everything seems to be on schedule. It is an 8 hour flight.

A Day of Travel Has Begun

Woody and I just said "Goodbye" to Jessica. She dropped us off at the airport in Birmingham with 2 - 60 pound bags, a backpack and purse. Woody is traveling light with only his cowboy hat. He is anxious to get to his new home with Daniel. He is a surprise from Daniel's parents. It just wouldn't have been right to put Woody in the checked baggage so he is accompanying me during the flight. I only hope he protects me from bandits . We do have one slight problem, he has lost his gun. Although, I don't think we would have made it through security with his gun. Also, I have a strong aversion to prison.

We will arrive in Belo Horizonte tomorrow morning at 9:25 am which is 6:25 am in Birmingham. We have a 6 hour layover in Miami which is where we are headed first.

I just hope Woody doesn't decide to say "there is a snake in my boot" during our flights. It could cause quite a stir.

Belo Horizonte Here We Come!

Preparing for Belo Horizonte, Brazil

Airline tickets - check. Brazil Visa - check. Bags packed - half a check.

Guess what? I will have a traveling companion flying to Brazil so make sure you check back on Saturday to see a picture of me and my traveling buddy.

Let the adventures begin.

Last Climb

Around 5:30, we met a friend of mine from high school, Judy, who lives
in San Francisco. It has been 15 years since we have seen each
other. She looks exactly the same. We took a taxi to North Beach and
walked up Telegraph Hill to the Coit Tower. The five us went to the
top of the tower via elevator.

Judy had made reservations for us at Franchino where we had some
wonderful Italian food. They make their own pasta here and it is a
small, quaint, family-owned restaurant. We spent several hours here
talking. It was great catching up with Judy after all these years.

We said our goodbyes to Judy and the took a taxi back to Fisherman's
Wharf where we were parked. We dropped off our rental and boarded our
plane for a 1:30 take off. We are in Memphis at the moment and are
ready to get home and get some sleep not to mention.

Sent from my iPhone

Franchino Italian Restaurant

Melody and Judy

Coit Tower

At the Top of Coit Tower

Last Day in San Francisco

This morning we drove back to San Francisco from Novato. We took the
Cable car from the Hyde Turnaround to the Cable Car Museum to see the
big cables running underground that move the cars up and down the
streets.

We then jumped back on the cable car and went to Union Square where we
walked directly from there to Chinatown since the girls were starving.
We ate at the Far East Cafe. I had Dim Sum and it was delicious.

After lunch, we walked around Chinatown and went into various shops
and then went in search of the Golden Gate Cookie Factory which was
hidden down Ross Alley. It took some backtracking but we found it.
We saw how they fold and put the fortunes in the cookies. We also had
some free samples.

We then went back to Union Square to do a little windowshopping in
stores such as Prada, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, etc. The weather has been
exceptional for us with bright sunny skies and now we are resting our
legs in the shade of a tree at Union Square.

Kate says "Happy Birthday Aunt Karen!!"

Chinatown

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Julie Found Her Store

First Stop on Cable Car

Napa & Sonoma Valley - Wine Country

This morning we awoke early and drove to Oakville in Napa. Before our
winery tour, we stopped at the Oakville Grocery Company to get a
small bite to eat for breakfast. I had an apricot brioche that was
simply wonderful. The drive through Napa was breathtaking. After the
grocery, we went to Robert Mondavi Winery. It was a fantastic tour
beginning in the vineyard and taking us through the process of making
wine. Our guide, Jamie, did a great job and we all came away with a
better understanding of the winemaking process. No worries about us
opening our own vineyard especially since an acre of land starts at
$350,000. However, Julie is definitely up for marrying the grandson
of Robert Mondavi if he is not already married. By the way, we tasted
a Chardonnay, Merlot and a Cabernet Sauvignon at the end our tour.

Next, we headed down the Silverado trail to Yountville at the
suggestion of Margaret from Robert Mondavi. We arrived in the quaint
town of Yountville and had lunch at the Pacific Blues Cafe.
Afterwards, we went to a few shops.

We returned to the Silverado Trail and headed to Healdsburg. Before
going to Healdsburg, we stopped just north of there at the Dry Creek
Olive Oil Company and did an olive oil tasting. We tried several olive
oils some of which had lemon, tangerine or oranges flavoring them. We
also tried a balsamic vinagrette, and a pomegranate vinagrette that
were delicious.

Next, we drove to downtown Healdsburg which has a park for it's city
square and walked around and looked into the local shops. We went to
Powell's candy shop which was very nostaligic and Julie and I both had
key lime ice cream that tasted just like key lime pie. Meredith
sampled the Creme Brulee ice cream. I definitely recommend checking
out Powell's if you are in Healdsburg.

Our final stop before going to the hotel was dinner in Santa Rosa. We
went to the historic district where the Santa Rosa Depot Park is
located with a bronze statue of Charlie Brown and Snoopy. We then had
dinner at the Sushi To Die For restaurant. We all enjoyed our sushi.
I will spare the squeamish people the details about our sushi. Julie
says, "raw oysters look like
lougies."

Impressions for the day:

Meredith - another successful day: wine country will be my retirement
home.

Julie - I will marry the grandson of Robert Mondavi just so I can look
at this beautiful scenery everyday.

Kate - so beautiful, I could have spent the whole day sitting in one
spot staring at the vineyards on the hillside.

The blogger and driver is a bit tired so the blog may seem a little
dry tonight but I have to give a shout out to Meredith's Mom, Connie,
and Kate's Aunt, A.J.

Tomorrow we will spend the day back in San Francisco.

Napa Valley

Oakville Grocery Company

Robert Mondavi Winery

Robert Mondavi Winery